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Texas AG Ken Paxton’s office “dysfunctional” with child porn and shady political dealings

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is running for a third term in office while facing civil and criminal fraud charges for allegedly handly sketchy trade deals, giving office positions to donors, and trying to overturn the 2020 election.

However, a new Associated Press (AP) story paints Paxton’s office as highly political and dysfunctional.

Paxton’s office botched “Operation Fallen Angel,” an investigation that indicted six men on allegations of forcing teen girls to “exchange sexual contact for crystal methamphetamine.” Paxton’s office largely dropped the charges because they lost track of their key witness.

Another prosecutor said he quit Paxton’s office in January after supervisors pressured him to withhold evidence in a murder case, the AP wrote.

Eight of Paxton’s top deputies quit or were fired in autumn 2020 after they went to the FBI to accuse Paxton of using his office to help a donor who had employed a woman that Paxton admitted to having an extramarital affair with. The FBI’s investigation is ongoing.

The AP story notes that Paxton gave a senior role to a California attorney who gave him $10,000 to fight his 2015 securities fraud indictment. Paxton also hired Tom Gleason, a former police officer whose father donated $50,000 to Paxton’s legal defense. Gleason was given a job advising Paxton on child exploitation as well as Medicaid and voter fraud.

Gleason was fired less than two months into his new job. Paxton’s office didn’t explain why, but “three people with knowledge of the matter” told the AP that, during a work presentation at the agency’s Austin headquarters, Gleason played a video of “a man raping a small child” to highlight the difficult work facing child abuse investigators.

“It was met with outrage and caused the meeting to quickly dissolve,” the AP wrote. “Afterward, Paxton’s top deputy, Brent Webster, told staff not to talk about what happened.”

The AP also wrote that before Texas’ March primary elections, Amber Platt, a deputy over criminal justice cases, held a meeting asking lawyers in Paxton’s offices about which upcoming cases that would best help his reelection chances.

Despite all this, Paxton has a five-point lead over his Democratic opponent, Rochelle Garza.

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'ABSOLUTE MASTERCLASS'

‘We’re Not Afraid to Own Our Policies’: Buttigieg Praised as His Response to Trump Goes Viral

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Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg’s response to Donald Trump’s refusal to accept any responsibility for the impact his massive deregulations have had went viral on Thursday as video of him encouraging the ex-president to support the Biden administration’s efforts went viral.

During his visit to the scene of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio on Thursday, a reporter asked Secretary Buttigieg, “You mentioned the national political figures decided to get involved, it sounds like you’re talking about Trump. And then you said, ‘I need your help.’ How can he help?”

Buttigieg replied, “Well, one thing he could do is express support for reversing the deregulation that happened on his watch. I heard him say he had ‘nothing to do with it,’ even though it was in his administration. So if he had nothing to do with it, and they did it in his administration against his will, maybe he could come out and say that, that he supports us moving in a different direction.”

READ MORE: DeSantis Downplays Insurrection, Denies Responsibility for First Amendment Restrictions on Protesting at Florida Capitol

“We’re not afraid to own our policies when it comes to raising the bar on regulation,” Buttigieg continued. “And I’ve got to think that him indicating that this is something that everybody ,no matter how much you disagree on politics and presidential campaigns, can get behind – higher fines, tougher regulations on safety, Congress on tying our hands on breaking rules, all the other things that go with it that’d be a nice thing for him to do.”

Buttigieg was referring to Trump’s visit to the East Palestine just one day earlier, where instead of tossing paper towels at homeless hurricane victims Trump handed out red MAGA caps at McDonald’s and used “Trump”-branded bottled water to ensure voters knew he had been there.

During Trump’s Wednesday visit a reporter asked him about the train derailment, which resulted in the release of toxic gases under the direction of GOP Govern or Mike DeWine. She mentioned his “pulling back rail regulations” when he was president, something he did indeed do.

“I had nothing to do with it,” Trump insisted.

Instead, the ex-president quickly blamed the “airports” on Buttigieg, claiming they are like “a third world nation,” although Trump never improved them on his watch and the Biden administration actually passed and signed into law a massive infrastructure bill, one that Trump was never able to pass.

The Recount on Wednesday, pointing to an ABC News article, noted that the “Trump administration withdrew regulations connected to ‘high hazard’ trains, which critics say made it more likely a derailment like the kind in East Palestine would happen.”

Meanwhile, Buttigieg’s response to Trump’s remarks have gone viral. In just 24 hours the video (above) of Buttigieg has garnered nearly 2 million views.

Journalists, critics, and commentators on social media are praising the Transportation Secretary.

READ MORE: ‘Losing His Grip’: Trump Flattened on Morning Joe for ‘Bizarre’ Post About Train Wreck ‘Ratings’

“Never really understood why Republicans think picking fights with him is a good idea,” HuffPost White House correspondent S.V. Dáte tweeted. “He is hands down the Biden administration’s best communicator, he takes apart the criticism, turns them back on the critics, and does it all without sounding mad.”

“Absolutely incredible,” said podcaster and former Biden delegate Victor Shi. “Pete Buttigieg proves once again why he remains one of the best communicators and assets Democrats have. Very few people can respond to journalists and call out Republicans as effectively as Pete Buttigieg.”

Social media influencer and political commentator JoJoFromJerz, who has over 780,000 followers on Twitter called it “an absolute masterclass on how to handle donald j. trump.”

And author Tod Goldberg noted, “When Pete starts to smile, you know you’re about to find yourself in the ‘find out’ portion of the show.”

Watch the videos of Buttigieg and Trump above or at this link.

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'ABSOLUTE MASTERCLASS'

GOP Rep.-Elect George Santos May Have Lied About Being Half-Black, Mom Dying Due to 9/11

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Rep.-elect George Santos (R-NY), who is under investigation for extensively lying to voters about his resume, may have also made possible false statements about being half-Black and his mother dying in connection to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

Roger Sollenberger, a political reporter for The Daily Beast, uncovered tweets Santos published on July 3, 2020 from his official congressional campaign’s Twitter account in which he identified as bi-racial, writing, “[Martin Luther King Jr.] did not die for us to go back to segregation. As a biracial person I stand tall against segregation of any kind. This so-called ‘black anthem’ is the most divisive thing I’ve ever seen.”

Sidestepping the fact that the August 2017 Unite the Right white supremacist rally was likely the most divisive thing that most Americans have ever seen, Santos’ tweet likely refers to “Lift Every Voice”, an early 20th century song which has been recognized as a Black National Anthem. Following the nationwide protests against the May 2020 police murder of Black Minneapolis resident George Floyd, the NFL and NASCAR briefly incorporated the song into their pre-game musical performances.

When a Twitter user asked Santos to clarify what he meant by identifying as “biracial,” Santos responded, “Caucasian and Black.”

It’s unclear whether this claim is actually a falsehood. Robert Mackey, a reporter for The Intercept found a picture of Santos embracing a dark-skinned man along with the caption, “Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there.” But it’s unclear whether the man in the photo is his father or someone else’s dad.

Also under scrutiny is Santos’ claims about his Jewish heritage. In a February 2020 interview, he claimed that his grandfather fled Nazi persecution in Ukraine, married a woman he met in Belgium, and then moved to Brazil.

“Santos said his mother’s family’s historical Jewish name was ‘Zabrovsky,’ and later appeared to operate a GoFundMe campaign for a pet charity (which he falsely claimed was a 501(c)(3) nonprofit) under that alias,” CNN reported. “Genealogists CNN previously spoke with found no evidence of Jewish or Ukrainian heritage in his family tree.”

Santos also previously said, “My mother fled socialism in Europe,” but genealogical records show that his mother was born in Brazil.

Regarding his mother, in a July 12, 2021 tweet, Santos wrote, “9/11 claimed my mother’s life.” He had previously said that his mother was working in the World Trade Center on the day of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The now-deleted bio on his campaign website said, “She survived the horrific events of that day, but unfortunately passed away a few years later.”

Apparently, “a few years later” meant 15 years later, and it’s unclear if her death had any connection whatsoever to the attacks.

Santos also seemingly lied about having attended the Horace Mann preparatory school in the Bronx, New York.

“We’ve searched the records and there is no evidence that George Santos (or any alias) attended Horace Mann,” Ed Adler, a spokesman for the school, told CNN.

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‘Hero’ and ‘National Treasure’ Raskin Receives Massive Praise for Speech Decimating GOP Opposition to J6 Committee

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U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) has once again achieved “national treasure” and “hero” status to the many Americans who watched his unrelenting destruction of Republican talking points and conspiracy theories about the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack, on which he serves.

Congressman Raskin, a former constitutional law professor, was the lead impeachment manager for the second impeachment of Donald Trump, and has repeatedly been the subject of praise for his passionate defense of democracy.

On Wednesday, as many were focused on the New York Attorney General’s announcement of a civil fraud lawsuit against Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump, other Trump associates and several of the former president’s businesses, and still others focused on President Joe Biden’s historic speech before the United Nations, Congressman Raskin was sitting in a House Judiciary Committee hearing fielding a conspiratorial question from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), as Mediaite reported.

READ MORE: In Scathing Rebuke DOJ Wins Stay of Trump Judge’s Ruling in National Security Appeal Over Classified Documents

Massie is perhaps best known for his conspiracy theories, along with his Christmas photo he posted of him, his wife, and their children, all photographed holding assault rifles.

Raskin’s destruction of GOP conspiracy theories and talking points started with Massie dredging up Ray Epps. Mediate explains the background:

“The theory holds that Epps was acting as an agent provocateur working for the deep state who was at the Capitol to rile up supporters of Donald Trump and get them to cause mayhem. Trump himself held a rally that morning and encouraged his supporters to march to the Capitol as the 2020 presidential election was being certified by members of Congress. The former president falsely claimed the election was stolen from him.”

Raskin wasn’t having it.

Massie claimed they “were told” a transcript of the January 6 Committee’s interview with Epps “would be released, but it’s never been released.”

Raskin blasted Massie in response.

READ MORE: ‘Lacks Courage’: Experts Question Why Alvin Bragg ‘Stood Down’ on Trump Criminal Case After Bombshells in Civil Suit

“None of the transcripts have been released so you don’t need a conspiracy theory about that,” he replied. “We’ve done more than a thousand interviews. You guys are trying to make this poor schmuck who showed up to your protest into something a lot bigger than he is. He’s just trying to survive and he’s on your side. You don’t have many voters left, you might want to try to hang on to them without demonizing and vilifying your own people.”

Raskin was unrelenting.

“That’s the Donald Trump way. Sell everybody else down the road. Unless you can get a pardon,” Raskin continued. “Most people have opened their eyes about what he’s done to our country. What he’s done to his family.”

But the back-and-forth did not end there.

Congressman Raskin took Massie on a walk through recent history over the creation of the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.

Blasting House Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Raskin said, “After we went back and conveyed our agreement to the GOP proposal,” about the formation of a committee to investigate the January 6 attack, “it was vetoed by the fourth branch of government,” meaning Donald Trump, who Raskin has previously referred to in that manner.

“It was vetoed by the cult leader, Donald Trump, who said he wanted no investigation at all! That’s your guy! Donald Trump, he said he wanted no investigation. And so, you pulled the plug on the investigation you originally advocated because Donald Trump didn’t want it. Let’s tell some truth! You’re talking about the truth? I’m giving you the truth! I’m giving you the facts about it!”

READ MORE: NY AG Referring Criminal Charges Against Trump to the Feds, Alleges He ‘Grossly Inflated’ Net Worth by ‘Billions’

“And then when Speaker Pelosi said, ‘well in that case the House of Representatives will conduct our own investigation,’ then, again, you guys boycotted because you wanted to put pro-insurrection members on the committee. And so, we ended up with a bipartisan committee of people really interested in getting the facts,” Raskin reminded Massie.

“And you know what? This is what you guys can’t stand: America listened to it because we had real congressional hearings,” he said proudly, noting that “25, 30 million Americans [were] watching because we told the truth about Donald Trump’s assault on democratic institutions and the right to vote in America.”

Raskin launched in to a near-rendition of the courtroom scene in “A Few Good Men,” declaring, “maybe you can’t handle the truth, but that’s the reality and nobody’s laid a glove on any of the testimony that has come out during those hearings.”

“So, we hear this absurd whining about ‘Ray Epps,’ who has absolutely nothing to do with any of it. And all of these conspiracy theory allegations have been debunked – up and down. Up and down! You think you’ve got something? Bring him in and talk to him or send us a letter. But why don’t you deal with the reality of the situation?”

Once again, Raskin is receiving high praise for his defense of democracy.

Noted political scientist Norm Ornstein declared Raskin a “national treasure.”

Journalist, author, Emmy-Award winning producer Maria Shriver, a member of the Kennedy family, responded to the video by saying, “Damn, I love this. It’s so good.” Rep. Raskin is “speaking truth to power and the other side can’t handle it.”

Podcaster and political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen called it an “absolute masterclass by Jamie Raskin.”

Mary Trump, also a podcaster and relative of the former president called Raskin “the best congressman we have.”

Journalist, CEO, and foreign policy, national security and political affairs analyst David Rothkopf said he’s “Always so grateful” that Raskin “is a member of our Congress.”

Award-winning screenwriter, film-and-television producer and director Mark Frost saysRaskin is an American hero. This is thrilling stuff; you couldn’t WRITE a better speech and he’s winging it.”

Social media influencer and former NBA player Rex Chapman called Rep. Raskin “a superstar.”

Van Badham, Australian writer and columnist for The Guardian (Australia), pointing to a clip of Raskin offered this summation: “If you’re unfamiliar with Jamie Raskin; this is a man who has survived cancer, January 6 and the tragic death of his adult son. He’s someone whose shown a strength of character and personal resilience that puts him far beyond anything the Republicans could try to lay on him.”

Watch the videos above or at this link.

 

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